Cheers to that solopreneur life! As a fellow entrepreneur who for a long time was the only employee of my business, I totally understand how pressed for time your schedule can be - and how doing your own marketing seems to always fall at the end of your to-do list (and possible never gets done!). In this day and age, every company and brand needs some sort of presence on social media. At the very least, you need to own your name on every platform that makes sense for your brand/business so that no one else does and so you can control the messages coming from your name. For more on what networks to join that make sense for your business, check out my What social channels should I use for my business in 2019? blog.
Even though you don’t have support staff to help you, there are still a few things you can do to elevate your brand and business on social media. Using these tips and tricks, you’ll be on your way to growing your account’s engagement, followers and reach.
Understand Your Target Audience
I’ve covered this before in a number of other blogs - but I’ll say it again - knowing your target audience and who you want to reach is the absolutely #1 key to winning your marketing.
When you know your ideal user inside and out, you can write with a specific person in mind rather than just writing to everyone. Focus in on that person - their age, lifestyle, gender, demographic, etc. - to make your product/offer/service feel essential and irresistible to them. By doing this, you will create more sales and revenue for your business.
Set Goals
Setting goals is also very important when it comes to joining social media and establishing your marketing. Do you want to up your brand awareness? Is generating leads important to you? Are you wanting to increase traffic to your website or blog? Are you booking in-person or online events? Knowing the answers to these questions will begin to craft your strategy on social media. Once you have a clear picture of your goals, you can set out to achieve them.
Optimize Your Profiles
Once you’ve decided what platforms make sense for you and your brand, it’s time to create your profiles! Optimizing them for each platform is ideal. Some key areas to refine and brand are:
Bio: On Facebook, your bio space is unlimited. On Instagram, you only have 150 characters. Knowing how to craft your bio for all lengths and still deliver your message can be tricky. Ask yourself “What does my business do?” and build from there. Keeping it brief and straight to the point is ideal.
Profile Picture: This is your first impression - make it great! Is your logo easily recognizable or would your customers know your face first? If your face is your brand - absolutely use an image of you!
Contact Information: It needs to be easy for me to get in touch with you! Fill out all contact information on every platform so your customers can always find a way to get in touch.
Use Visual Content
Content is the heavy-hitter in your digital marketing game. Without interesting and unique content, you’re not going to find, appeal, or engage your target audience. The types of content you create and share will vary based on your industry, goals, and comfort - but one thing is for sure - social media audiences LOVE visual content. Visual assets should be part of your marketing mix no matter what. For my clients and myself, it’s rare that I will share a post or status that doesn’t include visual content.
But what is the best visual content to share? Videos, photos, Infographics, and GIFs are a few ways to share your message visually.